


In Any Reality

by angelus2hot



Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Angst, Community: sgareversebang, Fluff, Happy Ending, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-30
Updated: 2016-04-30
Packaged: 2018-06-05 09:09:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,664
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6698758
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/angelus2hot/pseuds/angelus2hot
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In any reality John Sheppard loves Rodney McKay. It just takes him a while to admit it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	In Any Reality

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Loobeeinthesky](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Loobeeinthesky/gifts).



> **Title:** In Any Reality  
>  **Fandom:** Stargate Atlantis  
>  **Characters/Pairing:** John Sheppard/Rodney McKay  
>  **Rating:** PG-13  
>  **Word Count:** 3,664  
>  **Summary:** In any reality John Sheppard loves Rodney McKay. It just takes him a while to admit it.  
>  **A/N:** Inspired by the gorgeous art by loobeeinthesky written for sgareversebang

[ ](https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/angelus2hot/9778281/832767/832767_original.jpg)

As he walked out onto the brightly lit stage an announcer's voice boomed across the auditorium.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, put your hands together for the one, the only... John Sheppard!!"

John walked to the center of the stage while the noise grew louder. With a huge grin on his face John stood silently on the stage, his guitar slung across his shoulder and waited for the deafening screams to die down.

"We love you, John!"

He winked in the direction of the screams. "Love you too, darlin'." As the noise finally died down he slung his foot onto the bottom rung of the stool, positioned his guitar across his thigh and began to speak. "Two years ago today the world, not just country music lost one of the greatest entertainers of all time, Johnny Cash. I want to dedicate my last show here to his memory.” The lights went out in the audience as the spotlight shined on John. “This is one of my favorites I hope y'all like it too."

The crowd went wild with applause as John began to strum his fingers across his guitar strings and the first lines of _Ring of Fire_ echoed around the large auditorium. 

 

Two and a half-hours later his last song died down to deafening applause. He stood in the center of the stage, his head down and let the adulation wash over him. His manager, hell even the band had said it was a risky move on his part dedicating his last show in town to a late country music entertainer. They’d said the fans didn’t want that kind of country music anymore. But John had proved them wrong. 

“Ladies and Gentlemen I would like to introduce the members of my band.” His words could barely be heard over the screams as he began to call out their names. “And finally on the piano Mister Twinkle Fingers himself, Rodney McKay!”

The screams continued to grow louder as Rodney stood and took a bow. He was proud of himself for not blushing this time. The pet name barely even bothered him anymore.

“Thank you for coming out tonight! Y’all have been a wonderful audience! Goodnight!” With one last bow to the room full of ecstatic fans John walked off the stage with his guitar held tight in his hand. 

Backstage John wiped his forehead with a towel before turning to watch Rodney walk in. “I’m going to go ahead and head out.” He glanced at the rest of the band, who were beginning to break down the equipment. “Y’all catch up as soon as you can.”

Rodney shook his head as he stared at John’s retreating back. Working with that man was an experience. He wouldn’t ride in his bus, no not John, he insisted on driving himself to each and every gig no matter where it happened to be. Rodney had tried since they had got together to form the band to tell John he was famous now and as such he needed to be more careful. But no matter what Rodney said John insisted that his fans would never hurt him. He refused to believe or even think otherwise. 

 

 

It seemed as if time was moving in slow motion as Rodney rushed into the hospital room his eyes bright with worry. "John?"

The man lying in the bed opened his eyes. "Rodney? What are you doing here?'

"Are you kidding me? I came to see you. You might like to think we were just a one-time thing. But I..." Rodney cleared his throat. Now was not the time. There would be plenty of time later for the two of them to figure out what they were to each other. A feeling of helplessness washed over him. If they were anything. "It's all over the news that John Sheppard was involved in a hit and run." Rodney glanced down at the bruised man in the bed. His face was bloody, his fingers on both hands bandaged and if he looked close enough he could seen the beginnings of the bandages the doctors had wrapped around John’s ribs. If he ever caught the son of a bitch who did this he would... "Do you remember what happened?" 

He started to shrug his shoulders but stopped as pain sliced through his battered body at the movement. "After the show I was walking towards the truck when I was hit. I didn't even see the car coming. It came out of nowhere." A horrifying thought held John in its grip. "My guitar, Rodney. What happened to it?" 

It was all Rodney could do not to roll his eyes. John could have been killed and all he was worried about was the guitar. The man obviously had his priorities mixed up either that or he loved that guitar more than he did himself. 

John fought the paralyzing fear that held him in its throes. Rodney wasn’t answering. This couldn’t be good. He just knew his guitar was lying in pieces somewhere and he didn’t even have the strength to get up and go find it. "Rodney?" He bit back a painful cry as he tried to sit up.

Rodney quickly put his hand on John's shoulder and gently pushed him back down. "Calm down, would you? Your guitar is perfectly safe. The police found it lying next to you.” He had been the one to find John lying in the middle of the road, blood covering his face, he’d aged ten years in that one moment. But he hadn't even thought to check for John’s guitar. “It's locked in my car now." Rodney watched as he visibly relaxed. "What's so special about that guitar anyway?"

"It's the first guitar I bought when I hit it big.” John could remember that day as if it were yesterday. A smile curved his lips. “It was signed by Johnny Cash himself."

A look of understanding crossed Rodney's face. He had known John was a fan of Johnny Cash's he'd just never figured him to have that much of an obsession. Apparently, he was the ultimate fanboy. "You want me to drop it off at your place when I leave?"

"No. Keep it with you. Keep it safe for me." There were other things he wanted to say, needed to say but he couldn’t form the words. He hoped Rodney would understand the meaning behind the words he didn’t say. 

"Okay. I will. You get some rest. I'll be back to check on you tomorrow." With a last awkward pat on the shoulder Rodney left the room.

As soon as Rodney left John wondered how long he would have to stay in the hospital before he could go home. With a sigh he laid back and closed his eyes.

 

The next morning Rodney all but ran into John's hospital room bursting with the news. "They found the person that ran you over."

“That was fast.”

Rodney nodded his head in agreement. “The person who did it turned themselves in. Otherwise I don’t think the police would have ever found out who did it.”

"And?” John eased up straighter. "Who was it?" He hoped Rodney hurried up and got to the point. He was in no mood to play a guessing game.

"It was one of your fans.” He had tried to warn John but he had refused to listen. Far be it for him to point out that he was right. Rodney’s lips were a thin line as he tried to keep the words _I told you so_ from leaving his mouth. Those would wait until John was feeling better and out of the hospital. “Apparently she figured if she couldn't have you no one could.”

His mouth fell open. Of all the asinine... Tremors racked his body as a horrific thought went running through his mind. Because of a fan, he could have died. What had made her think killing him was a sane thing to do? There was nothing about this that was okay. He'd had fans come on to him before, panties thrown on the stage, women raising their shirts and asking him to sign their breasts. Hell, he'd even had one woman climb onto the stage and dry hump his hip before security had pulled her off of him and escorted her off the stage. All of it he had taken in stride. If he were honest he would have to admit most of he had kind of enjoyed. He had figured it was what came with the territory. John combed his fingers through his unruly hair. But through all of it none of his fans had ever tried to kill him before. It was the one thing he had thought he would never ever have to worry about. His fans loved him. Apparently there was such a thing as being loved too much.

Before John could say anything Rodney continued, “The thing is it could have been much worse.”

“Worse?” John’s voice raised an octave.

He nodded. “According to the police report she had slowed the car down considerably before she hit you. It was almost as if at the last moment she had wanted to change her mind. If she hadn’t....” Rodney couldn’t finish the sentence but then again he didn’t have to. John understood what he was saying completely.

John's eyes drifted closed and his head fell back against the pillow. This was one thing he wasn’t sure if he was ever going to be able to get over it. "I'm just so tired of it all, Rodney. I need a break."

"What do you want to me to do?"

And with those words John knew he had an ally in Rodney. John gave Rodney a slow smile as he opened his eyes, raised his head and motioned for him to come closer. There was no way he wanted his plan to get out to the public. “This is what we’re going to do...” 

 

 

"There's another one." Rodney waved the offending newspaper in his hand as he walked through the front door. 

It had been over six months since he had helped John disappear and in that time he had watched as John slowly relaxed and quit being the persona and started being just a man.

"What does it say this time?" John's voice came from the bathroom along with the sound of running water.

"It says that you've been kidnapped by crazed fangirls." He raised his voice to make sure John could hear him over the sound of the shower. "And that they have got you hold up in some backwoods cabin forcing you to have..." Rodney cleared his throat as his eyes glazed over at the thought of John and him in said cabin doing exactly what the fangirls were getting accused of. A sigh swept through him. He could only wish.

John walked out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist and watering dripping down his chest. With a sigh he sat down on the edge of the bed. “The press just isn’t letting up, is it?”

“It’s okay, John. They’ll never find you here.” Rodney prided himself on his ability to keep himself from rushing to John’s side and licking every drop of moisture from the man’s body.

He had known Rodney was a smart man but this had been a stroke of genius. They had borrowed the rural farmhouse from a friend of a friend of a friend’s brother. He wasn’t exactly sure who the house belonged to but John didn’t need to know all the details. It was enough for him to know they were safe.

“Hey. It’s okay.” Rodney mistook John’s silence for worry and walked over to sit down beside him, his hand automatically reached out to pat John’s shoulder. He tried to ignore the feel of John’s wet skin beneath his fingers as he whispered words of comfort. “I won’t let anything happen to you ever again. You’re safe with me.”

Something Rodney had said months ago began to swirl through the painful fog of his memory. He had been in a lot of pain and full of medication but he was almost sure of what he’d heard. “I didn’t, I don’t see you as a one time thing.”

With a shocked look on his face Rodney turned to face him. Surely he couldn’t have heard him right. “What?”

_Oh God, he was wrong!_ That wasn’t what Rodney had said at all! “I... uh.. nothing.”

“What are you talking about, John?” His heart hammered in his chest waiting for John to answer.

“Nothing. Forget I said anything.” The only thing John wanted at the moment was for the floor to open up and swallow him. Preferably before Rodney could say anything else.

‘What exactly am I supposed to forget?” Rodney stared into John’s eyes as hope began to unfurl inside of him. “Generally speaking one has to know what something is before one can forget it.” He could feel his breath catch in his throat as he waited for John to answer.

John took a deep breath before he began to speak. “When I was in the hospital, that first day I thought I remembered you mumbling something about my seeing being with you as a one time thing.”

_Please. Please. Please!_ The words began to through Rodney’s mind like a prayer.

“But I was on a lot of medication and I’m probably not remembering it right.”

Rodney tried his damnedest not to let his emotions show on his face as he felt his hopes come crashing down around him.

A slow smile began to curve John’s lips. “But just in case I am.” John swallowed hard before he whispered, ‘I have never seen you as a one-time thing. That night was the best night of my entire life. I won’t tell you how many times I’ve jacked off at the memory of your lying beneath me, of my cock sliding deep inside of you and my name falling from your lips as you came.” John bit his bottom lip as he shifted.

A whoosh of air left Rodney at John’s words. He opened his mouth to speak but John wasn’t finished yet.

“I may have a lot of regrets but being with you, Rodney will never be one of them.”

Rodney finally found his voice. “What regrets?”

“Not being with you again.” John slid his hand along Rodney’s thigh in a slow caress.

The sound of Rodney swallowing hard echoed through the room. As much as he wanted to be with John there was just so much he could take. “I can’t be another one night stand.”

John’s fingers dug into Rodney’s leg as his mouth thinned in anger. “One night stand? What the fuck, Rodney? I just told you that I loved you. How the hell did you get one night...”

Whatever else John was going to say was lost as Rodney interrupted, his eyes wide with shock. “What? You love me? How? When?” He glared at John. “You never said it!” That was one thing he was sure of. If those three words had ever fallen from John’s lips it was something he would never forget.

“I did!” At the look on Rodney’s face John felt his anger evaporate. “I didn’t?”

A mulish expression crossed Rodney’s face as he shook his head.

_Uh oh._ “Oh, I thought I did.” John fell silent for a moment. “I let you hold onto my guitar while I was in the hospital.”

“So?” Rodney was beyond confused.

A sigh swept through him. “Rodney, that guitar was my most prized possession. I loved it more than anything and I let you keep it for me. If that’s not saying I love you I don’t know what is.”

A look of understanding dawned on Rodney before he crossed his arms over his chest the mulish expression back with a vengeance. 

“Not enough?”

Once again Rodney shook his head.

“You want the words.”

John almost laughed out loud as Rodney nodded his head eagerly.

“Okay.” John caressed Rodney’s leg before he cupped his face in his hands. “I love you, Rodney McKay. More than my guitar, more than my own life.”

His body trembled as John’s words washed over him. “I love you too, John. I love you more than you will ever know. I have for a very long time.”

There was a lot more John wanted to say, things like being together wouldn’t be easy because of his career and the crazier fangirls out there who thought he belonged to them. But before he could say anything Rodney launched himself into his arms and as their lips met John forgot about everything else and allowed himself the pleasure of kissing Rodney once more.

 

 

 

Without a word Rodney clicked save program before he hit the end button. "Well? What do you think?"

John blinked and tried to get his bearings as Rodney removed the device from his forehead. He was having a hard time believing everything he had felt, done or seen had all just happened in his mind. It all had felt so real. And then it dawned on him. "Did you seriously invent the holodeck?

Rodney couldn't stop the proud smile from covering his face. "Kind of. It’s not interactive like the ones we saw on _Star Trek The Next Generation or even Deep Space Nine_. It all happens in your mind.” He began to explain how he had come up with the idea and to extol the virtues of how his device was much better than the holodeck but Rodney stopped himself in mid-sentence. “But you still didn't tell me what you think of it."

He had to give the man his due. "I think it's amazing, Rodney."

His smile widened further. "Really?" At John's nod he continued, "So what did you see?"

John shook his head and stood up. "I'm not telling."

"Oh, come on!" Rodney's mouth dropped open. He'd felt sure John would tell him all about his experience. "It's my invention!" 

"Yeah, well it was my virtual reality." Without another word John walked towards the door. The truth was he didn’t think he could ever tell Rodney what he had been through, the things they had done. Hell, his body still hummed from Rodney’s touch, from being inside of the man he had loved for a long time. _How was he supposed to tell Rodney that in his mind, in this virtual reality they were already much more than merely the best of friends?_

“Was I in your virtual reality?”

John stopped in his tracks. _How did Rodney know?_

“You can program anyone you want to appear in your virtual reality. It can be anyone living or dead.” Rodney bounced back on the balls of his feet. “You can even have fictional characters.”

A horrible thought occurred to him. “Did you...?”

Rodney shook his head. As much as he had been tempted he had let John’s mind lead the program where he wanted to go. And he was dying to know what had happened. “Come on, John. Tell me was I there?”

At the hopeful look on Rodney’s face he gave in. “Yes.”

A grin began to appear. “Was I a main character or just background material?”

John put his finger to his lips as he pretended to try to remember. “I’d say main.”

The grin widened. “Really?”

With a nod John headed for the door.

“Wait. You can’t just leave it there.” His breath escaped him in an aggravated sigh. “Are you ever going to tell me?”

He turned back to face Rodney, a playful smile on his face. “Maybe.”

“I will get you.” Rodney’s voice was with husky with promise.

“I hope so.” The words were barely over a whisper as John walked out of the room. 

Rodney stood still and watched John's retreating back as his last words echoed through his mind. A look of confusion began to spread across his face. He didn't understand what John had meant. Finally, his eyes widened and his mouth fell open as it dawned on him. _John was flirting with him!_ That thought was followed quickly by another. _Did John want him? Was he in love with him?_ A loud gasp escaped him and for a brief moment Rodney allowed the pleasure of that thought to wash over him. _Did that really happen or was he just being overly hopeful again?_ There was only one way to find out. Rodney couldn't stop the grin from sliding across his face as he quickly shut off the machine and ran after John.

As Rodney ran after John he felt the hope he had kept buried for so long began to unfurl. He called John’s name as he rounded the corner. “John!”

He looked back to see Rodney coming up behind him. The look on Rodney’s face almost brought him to his knees. Every thing he felt was mirrored on the other man’s face. “Rodney.”

Rodney stopped in front of John, his chest heaving as he tried to catch his breath. “Did you... Were you...” He swallowed hard before trying again. “Do you...” It was no use. He couldn’t even form the words much less get them passed his lips. But he didn’t have to. John understood what he was trying to say.

John nodded his head as a whispered _yes_ fell from his lips. 

“I love you.” Rodney’s eyes widened in horror as those words slipped out of his mouth before he could stop them. _What if he had misread the situation?_ But he was worried for nothing.

An intense wave of relief swept through John. The waiting was finally over. “I love you too, Rodney. More than anything, more than my guitar.” At the look of confusion on Rodney’s face John laughed. “I’ll tell you about it later.” He promised as he opened the door to his quarters and followed Rodney inside.


End file.
